[Lilbert]

Ive always joked that I have a binge every now and then, its usually junk. Actually its always junk, something salty/cheesy, usually a takeaway. Ive never really considered myself a 'binge eater' or having a binge problem. Except I've been tracking absolutely everything for around 4 weeks now, and while I'm staying within my calories I'm fine.
Except when I don't, a couple of times a week I'll have an 'evening off' and takeout etc, its in excess of 4000kcal an evening. Effectively cancelling out the hard work for the rest of the week. I hadn't realised it came to that many calories, or that often. So its kind of shocking to see the pattern on my graph of calories over the week. Every few days there will be a huge spike to about 4000kcal then back to normal for a few days.
So I'm owning up to it, maybe I am a 'binge eater' without having realised it?

[Palestrina]

Anyone who restricts is at risk for binging in my opinion. It's a cycle that diets set up, and in many cases (me me me!) it led to an eating disorder. It happens, restriction has that effect on anyone. My 3 yr old is sitting quietly reading a book - if I walk up to him and say "you can't have cookies," he'll start crying and throw a tantrum, eventhough he wasn't even thinking about cookies then. When you keep saying no no no to everything you want to eat, you're acting in defiance of what your body wants and defiance leads to rebellion - hence 4000 every few days.

Let me give you an example. Let's say that you want a piece of chocolate. You say to yourself "no, I'm going to be good, I'm going to have an apple instead, it's healthier, it's better for me, it's sweet, it should hit the spot." You eat the apple, but you're not satisfied. You start to feel uncomfortable, you reach for another apple, or perhaps try to console yourself with a few carrots and hummus, trying to divert that uncomfortable feeling by feeding yourself food. You pat yourself on the back, you did good! A couple of hours go by and BAM you're a monster, you eat a huge bowl of cereal and an entire chocolate bar... and since you blew it already you just go ahead and eat the ice cream too.

If you had just allowed yourself to eat that little piece of chocolate and satisfied your body's need for it you wouldn't have gone through that hooplah of diversions, food, and eventual binge. This is sort of what happens with restriction binges.

[Mrs Snark]

Here are a few more possible scenarios:

Scenario #1:

Let's say that you want a piece of chocolate. You say to yourself "no, I'm going to be good, I'm going to have an apple instead, it's healthier, it's better for me, it's sweet, it should hit the spot." You eat the apple slowly, you enjoy it, and you discover you were actually truly hungry which is why you began fixating on chocolate in the first place. Good thing you had that apple on hand! Your husband then comes home and you watch a bad romantic comedy that you both rate a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10, and then you have wild, crazy sex that you both rate a 9 (it would have been a 10 but the music you put on ran out before the grand finale occurred, thus the mark down).

Scenario #2:

Let's say that you want a piece of chocolate. You say to yourself, "I want chocolate, it's bad to deny myself what I want, I'm going to have chocolate! Normal people have chocolate all the time, and they enjoy it and then get on with their lives! So I'm going to have the chocolate!" You eat the chocolate. It's delicious! You break off another tiny piece of chocolate. SO delicious! You break off another itty bitty teeny tiny piece of chocolate. Oh wow, this chocolate is AWESOME! You eat all the rest of the chocolate in the house. You get a lovely sugar high and then start to crash. You want more chocolate! There is no more chocolate. You try to console yourself with a few carrots and hummus. Then you eat a huge bowl of cereal, a plate of pasta, a box of onion rings, a bag of salted peanuts, 2 slices cheddar cheese dipped in salad dressing, and a stale loaf of french bread. You wish you'd had an apple instead.

Scenario #3:

Let's say that you want a piece of chocolate. You say to yourself, "no, I'm going to be good, I'm going to have an apple instead, it's healthier, it's better for me, it's sweet, it should hit the spot." On the way to get the apple from the kitchen, aliens land and you are forced to flee without the chocolate or the apple. Oddly, the aliens look alot like apples with chocolatey tentacles and have voices like Rhianna on helium. Hiding in a burned out van 7 blocks from your now-demolished house, you'd pay a million dollars to have both the chocolate, the apple, and a high-powered rifle.

[Wannabehealthy]

Wannabeskinny, your scenario has happened to me many many times, and that's why I will eat a small amount of what I'm craving instead of trying to find a replacement.

The only disagreement I'll give you is where you say the chocolate was what your body needed. Your body needs nutrients, but it never "needs" chocolate. It's your head that wanted the chocolate.

And, yes, I did find Mrs Snark's scenarios funny! Thanks for the laugh.

[Pinkhippie]

Hah hah Mrs Snark! Dare I say you live up to your name? ( I mean that in a very good way)


Here is a scenario that happens to me quite often.

I guess we can call it possible scenario 4:

I want the chocolate, so I have the chocolate. The first few bites are DELICIOUS. Then I realize that I am actually hungry. When I am hungry, I want something more filling. So, I think about what sounds good to me because chocolate actually isn't very filling and since Im hungry, that is not really what my body truly wants. So, I eat something filling with nutrients. Sometimes its an apple with some peanut butter, but protein definitely needs to be featured.

The other scenario. I want some chocolate. I eat some. Its DELICIOUS. After a few bites, I am satisfied since I wasn't hungry in the first place. I just wanted a taste and I know if I keep eating I will get sugar head and feel bad and then need to eat some protein to balance myself. I don't want to do that so I stop eating. OR I take a few bites and stop because thats really all I wanted. It just depends on the chocolate and what kind it is. Usually darker chocolate has a stronger taste so I really only need a few bites.

Ooh or the last scenario. I want chocolate. I take a few bites and realize it tastes like chocolate flavored wax. I realize I don't really want chocolate and I want strawberries and vanilla ice cream instead. I have a small bowl of that and it is DELICIOUS. Because it is exactly what I wanted and it hits the spot so perfectly, I don't need to eat much and I enjoy the taste without getting sugar head. That happened last night actually.

Those are my chocolate scenarios now that I don't restrict chocolate from my life.

Oh! And my midwife actually told me that sometimes when you are craving chocolate you are craving magnesium. She recommended dates or bananas if I didn't want to be eating chocolate all the time. So, its possible your body really could be craving chocolate.

Just "food" for thought.

[Lilbert]

HAHAHA! I'm loving all the scenarios, lol. Thanks guys. X

[Palestrina]

Originally Posted by Wannabehealthy

Wannabeskinny, your scenario has happened to me many many times, and that's why I will eat a small amount of what I'm craving instead of trying to find a replacement.

The only disagreement I'll give you is where you say the chocolate was what your body needed. Your body needs nutrients, but it never "needs" chocolate. It's your head that wanted the chocolate.

And, yes, I did find Mrs Snark's scenarios funny! Thanks for the laugh.

I don't know about you, but my head is part of my body. And so whether it's my head or my body and it's asking for chocolate I give it. There is a big difference between living within restrictions and living outside of restrictions. Back when I was restricting myself a little chocolate craving turned into a huge chocolate binge. Now that I am not restricting myself from any food I don't binge anymore so when my body asks for chocolate it is satisfied with literally a small square of chocolate. Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants and nutrients, there is absolutely no reason that your body/mind shouldn't have a legitimate need for chocolate.

Although I see the humour in Mrs. Snark's "scenarios" they seem to be at my expense. I assure you that the scenario I pointed out is a very real scenario that played itself out numerous times, for me and for others. Furthermore, I don't think there is anything bad about chocolate, we shouldn't feel bad about craving it or any foods, and that by judging ourselves as good or bad leads to extreme behavior.

[Durian]

Is it possible that you aren't binging and you're just eating calorie-laden foods? I'm just throwing this out there, you obviously know yourself better.

Either way, I think it's great you're tracking your eating habits so you can identify the problem.

Originally Posted by Wannabeskinny

Although I see the humour in Mrs. Snark's "scenarios" they seem to be at my expense. I assure you that the scenario I pointed out is a very real scenario that played itself out numerous times, for me and for others. Furthermore, I don't think there is anything bad about chocolate, we shouldn't feel bad about craving it or any foods, and that by judging ourselves as good or bad leads to extreme behavior.

I'm not speaking for her intent, but my own takeaway (based on my own experiences) is that some people are not in a place where they can give in. I cannot eat the chocolate right now. It's great that you can, but I cannot.

[Mrs Snark]

Wannabe: I've experienced every scenario in the thread, pretty much, yours, mine and pinkhippie's . And the ones I wrote weren't meant to be "at your expense", they were simply the flip side of the ones you wrote and they are equally as valid. Sorry if you felt they were mean, that's most definitely not how they were meant!

[Palestrina]

Originally Posted by Mrs Snark

Wannabe: I've experienced every scenario in the thread, pretty much, yours, mine and pinkhippie's . And the ones I wrote weren't meant to be "at your expense", they were simply the flip side of the ones you wrote and they are equally as valid. Sorry if you felt they were mean, that's most definitely not how they were meant!

Thanks for clearing that up, they don't seem real but then again who am I to claim there are no aliens? I thought you were implying that the scenario I posed was far fetched. Which I wish it was.

[Mrs Snark]

Well, not the alien one, lol. That one was just silliness.

But all the rest.

[flower123]

Originally Posted by Mrs Snark

Here are a few more possible scenarios:

Scenario #1:

Let's say that you want a piece of chocolate. You say to yourself "no, I'm going to be good, I'm going to have an apple instead, it's healthier, it's better for me, it's sweet, it should hit the spot." You eat the apple slowly, you enjoy it, and you discover you were actually truly hungry which is why you began fixating on chocolate in the first place. Good thing you had that apple on hand! Your husband then comes home and you watch a bad romantic comedy that you both rate a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10, and then you have wild, crazy sex that you both rate a 9 (it would have been a 10 but the music you put on ran out before the grand finale occurred, thus the mark down).

Scenario #2:

Let's say that you want a piece of chocolate. You say to yourself, "I want chocolate, it's bad to deny myself what I want, I'm going to have chocolate! Normal people have chocolate all the time, and they enjoy it and then get on with their lives! So I'm going to have the chocolate!" You eat the chocolate. It's delicious! You break off another tiny piece of chocolate. SO delicious! You break off another itty bitty teeny tiny piece of chocolate. Oh wow, this chocolate is AWESOME! You eat all the rest of the chocolate in the house. You get a lovely sugar high and then start to crash. You want more chocolate! There is no more chocolate. You try to console yourself with a few carrots and hummus. Then you eat a huge bowl of cereal, a plate of pasta, a box of onion rings, a bag of salted peanuts, 2 slices cheddar cheese dipped in salad dressing, and a stale loaf of french bread. You wish you'd had an apple instead.

Scenario #3:

Let's say that you want a piece of chocolate. You say to yourself, "no, I'm going to be good, I'm going to have an apple instead, it's healthier, it's better for me, it's sweet, it should hit the spot." On the way to get the apple from the kitchen, aliens land and you are forced to flee without the chocolate or the apple. Oddly, the aliens look alot like apples with chocolatey tentacles and have voices like Rhianna on helium. Hiding in a burned out van 7 blocks from your now-demolished house, you'd pay a million dollars to have both the chocolate, the apple, and a high-powered rifle.

Thanks for the great laugh. I needed it. While its an old(ish) thread, I loved reading it. The lightness of humor. I needed to lighten up

[hannahbeanies]

This was a good thread to read. I have been in every single one of these scenarios (except for aliens, which I hope goes without saying). Everyone's body is different so everyone has different solutions. I know that I cannot deny myself something if I want it because it will lead to a horrid binge of not just that food, but everything within reach. However, this morning for example, I was craving some ice cream. I got out my trusty measuring spoons and scooped out a moderate portion. I knew exactly how much I was eating & I do not feel guilty & I feel comfortable. However, I can totally see how some people could not indulge in their cravings. It is like a different biochemical reaction in the brain. You get a taste and your brain is like "OOOO more of that please!!!" That is why some people have to abstain. All of these scenarios are equally valid, IMHO.

[LesMillsLuvr]

I have experienced the alien scenario. And it's true - they do look like chocolatey legged apples.

[Wannabehealthy]

MrsSnark I thought your scenarios were hillarious. We all need a good laugh once in a while. I copied them and am forwarding them to a friend who will appreciate them as much as I did. You have talent!!

Wannabeskinny, I understand about cravings and I agree with you that there is nothing wrong with chocolate. My point was just that it's not something your body needs, nutritionally. If that doesn't matter to you, that's fine, we are all entitled to our opinions, and yes, my head is also part of my body, but so is my fat belly that I'm trying to get rid of.